Various attempts have been made to optimize the cooling of various automobile parts. Some of the various devices developed have been designed to control the air flow throughout the engine compartment of the automobile such that the desired amount of heat is transferred away from the engine, transmission, and other components which generate heat in order to maintain an optimal operating temperature.
However, it is also desirable to bring the engine up to the normal operating temperature as soon as possible after engine start-up. When the engine is substantially the same temperature as the surrounding environment and is turned on, the engine is the least fuel efficient (especially during start-up and the temperature of the surrounding environment is cold). The reduced fuel efficiency is why it is considered desirable to bring the engine up to the optimal operating temperature very quickly. Under these conditions, it is not desirable to remove heat away from the engine and the various components surrounding the engine, and therefore devices designed to control air flow around the engine are more beneficially used if they do not remove heat away from the engine at start-up.
Furthermore, components designed to provide optimal cooling when the vehicle is new may operate differently after the vehicle has accumulated significant mileage. This may occur due to various weather conditions, changes in the way the vehicle is operated in response to different drivers, or wear and tear on the vehicle components and other components. All of these factors may affect or change the operation of the components over time as the vehicle accumulates mileage. Also, with many current cooling systems, the airflow generated from the forward motion of a vehicle is not efficiently used to cool the various components of the vehicle. Rather, many of the components of a vehicle cause poor airflow which leads to aerodynamic inefficiencies.
One particular attempt at this type of cooling is the use of louvers which are moveable between various positions to manipulate the air flow around the various components underneath the hood of the automobile. These louvers are typically controlled by a type of actuator, either mechanical or electrical, which is connected to the louvers, and provides for simultaneous actuation of the louvers. However, the actuator must be connected to the grille, or a location in proximity to the grille, to provide for actuation of each of the louvers. Connection of the actuator typically includes some type of fastener or other device for connecting the actuator to the grille.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a actuator that is connectable to a grille or other component which is simplified and uses a minimal amount of fasteners.